When the power goes out, it becomes a lot more difficult to prepare a hot meal. Yet it’s important both for your own comfort and for survival to prepare hot food during prolonged power cuts, emergencies or whilst on the move. Compact cooking solutions offer the answer: they’re portable, easy to store and often surprisingly efficient.
Why alternative cooking methods are necessary
The recent power outage in Spain and Portugal demonstrated that the electricity grid is not infallible. During hiking trips and camping holidays, you obviously can’t rely on electricity either. Yet after a long day of walking, nothing is as refreshing as a hot meal. With the right appliances, you can conjure up a hot meal on the table – or in your mess tin – even without access to your regular energy sources.
Different emergency cooking situations
Small gas burners
This type of ultra-compact gas burners are small, don’t weigh much and are also very affordable. They fit easily into a rucksack or emergency bag.
Advantages:
- Compact and lightweight (often less than 100 grams): These burners fit easily into a rucksack or emergency bag. Some models are no larger than a penknife when folded up.
- Simple to use: Ready for use within seconds without complex assembly or preparation time. Even people without technical knowledge can use them safely: most models work with a simple twist knob for the gas supply.
- Quick to heat up: Reaches full cooking power within 1-2 minutes. The direct flame ensures immediate heat transfer to the cookware.
- Available from approximately €15: The barrier to entry is low, making them accessible for virtually any budget. Even the basic models offer good performance for everyday cooking tasks in emergency situations.
Disadvantages:
- Dependent on specific gas cartridges: Different brands often use their own formats that aren’t interchangeable.
- Less stable: With large pots or pans on them, the burners can tip over.
Safety first!
Never use gas burners in poorly ventilated spaces. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real danger. Always place them on a stable, non-flammable surface and keep distance from flammable materials.
Wood gas burners (biomass burners)
These ingenious cooking appliances use small amounts of organic material such as twigs, pine cones, or wood chips as fuel.
Advantages:
- No fuel needed: these burners only need twigs, wood chips, pine cones, needles, dry leaves or other organic material that you can easily find in nature.
- Environmentally friendly: only natural materials are burnt, so the CO2 emissions aren’t that high. Moreover, the combustion is often more efficient than an open fire, resulting in less smoke development.
- Long lifespan: these appliances are typically made of durable stainless steel. Some models last for years, even with intensive use.
Disadvantages:
- Droog brandhout nodig: Nat of vochtig hout brandt slecht en produceert overmatig veel rook. In regenachtige periodes en gebieden kan droog materiaal vinden een uitdaging vormen.
- Many experienced survivalists always carry a small supply of dry kindling or dry shavings.
- Takes longer to cook: It takes time to get the fire going properly and to reach the optimum temperature.
- Can cause soot formation on cookware: The incomplete combustion often leads to black deposits on pots and pans, making cleaning more difficult.
Alcohol burners
These simple but effective burners run on methylated spirits or other alcohol fuels.
Advantages:
- Affordable and simple to use: Most alcohol burners cost between €10 and €30. The principle is simple: add fuel, light and cook. The technical simplicity also means there are few components that can fail.
- Fuel is available everywhere and long-lasting: Methylated spirits can be found in chemists, DIY stores and many supermarkets. When stored properly sealed, the fuel remains good for years.
- Quiet in use (no sounds of burning gas): Unlike many gas burners that make a characteristic hissing sound, alcohol burners burn virtually silently.
- Also works at extremely low temperatures: Alcohol only freezes at temperatures well below freezing point, making these burners reliable in cold environments.
Disadvantages:
- Lower energy content than gas or liquid fuels: For the same amount of heat, more alcohol is needed than, for example, gas or paraffin.
- Virtually invisible flame can pose a safety risk: The blue alcohol flame is barely visible during the day, which increases the risk of accidental burns. Users may be unaware that the burner is still on, especially in daylight. This requires extra caution and awareness during use.
Fuel storage
Always store liquid fuels in approved containers, out of reach of children, and away from heat sources. Never store more than what you reasonably need for a few months.